Pharmacies interviewed by Belgian media said they had begun receiving some of the 4.5 million boxes of 10 iodine pills — which help reduce radiation build-up in the thyroid gland — that were ordered by the government.

Belgium’s creaking nuclear plants have been stirring concerns at home and across its borders after a series of problems ranging from leaks to cracks and an unsolved sabotage incident.

In the last few years, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany have all raised concerns about the nuclear plants across the border in Belgium.

Two years ago the Dutch government ordered millions of iodine pills for its own citizens living near the border.

Belgium has seven nuclear reactors: four in Doel, near the major northern Dutch-speaking port of Antwerp, and three in Liege in the southern French-speaking region of the country.